Herbert W Armstrong

   There have been many sermons brought in the 3 days now that I have been here along not only doctrinal points but along Christian principles, how we should live correcting our lives, such like, and I know I have heard comments. I haven't heard any here, but the thought came to my mind. I have heard comments at times that people want to hear some subjects you take it and go right through and explain it and they think that is more what preaching is. Well, it isn't necessarily. The Bible says that the commission given to the disciples, to the ministers even at this time was to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom, the gospel of the kingdom of God.

   But what is it? Does that mean you have to get up and preach always of a subject just on the kingdom? Explaining what it is that it's the family of God, and so on. When you proclaim the gospel of the kingdom, you're proclaiming a gospel, a message not only about that kingdom, but about how we can attain it, how we can get there, and I assure you you're not going to get there unless you know the Christian principles. You know how you are to correct your lives and how you're to change. You'll not get in that kingdom.

   The Bible says in Matthew the 4th chapter, I believe it's the 4th verse, that man shall live by every word of God. What is the word of God? Here it is. Every word of it. Paul in his instructions to Timothy just before he knew that he was to be taken just a few years or perhaps even less than that prior to the time Paul was taken. He told Timothy to preach the word, be instant in season and out of season. That was his commission to him then. He knew that Timothy and these other young men whom he had been training with him were going to have to carry on the work that God had founded through the apostle Paul, and he told them then to preach the word. This again is the word of God. All of it.

   And when you hear a sermon or a sermonette or anything else of Christian principles, of things we should apply in our living, daily activities, how we should correct our lives, that is a very integral part, a very important part of the gospel of the kingdom of God, and a very necessary one. I would say if nearly all of you here were asked personally what the kingdom is, you will be able to tell me. You could say, well, it's the family of God. It's a ruling family. And you could go into various other ramifications of what the kingdom is. You know that part. It isn't necessary to get up and continue continually just pounding that out for you.

   But right now the thing we need in these times, the thing we need for the church in the condition that it has got itself into is a lot of good admonition, correction out of God's holy inspired word, and you have been getting quite a bit of it here. And I want you to realize that what you have been getting is very directly the gospel of the kingdom that is going to be established here on this earth. And if you want to inherit that kingdom, if you want to be in it, it behooves each and every one of us to apply the things you have heard individually in your lives and let them correct you. It's your responsibility.

   And what I'm going to go into now for not too long a time is a pretty good follow up I would say, of the sermon you have just heard on prayer. It isn't about prayer in itself, but it's a follow up of it. On Christian activities that we should inculcate in our lives, the things we should be doing from day to day. How we should be living and the responsibility that isn't on the ministers, but that's on you.

   In Philippians the 2 chapter, the 12th and the 13th verses, it says (Philippians 2:12-13), "Wherefore my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only." They obeyed when Paul wasn't there, not that to now for not too long, time, a pretty good follow up I would say of the sermon you have just heard on prayer. It isn't about prayer in itself, but it's a follow up of it on Christian activities that and trembling. Work out your own salvation. That's your responsibility. That's your job. No one else can work it out for you. No one else.

   A certain amount of guiding, direction, help, expounding of the scriptures, leading you as a shepherd leads sheep, that is the responsibility on the minister's shoulders. That is the way God's church functions. But as far as working out your own salvation, as far as getting into his family into his kingdom, that is your responsibility. If anyone thinks that on the coat tails of the preacher he can get into the kingdom, they're very, very much mistaken. It won't work.

   But what is the common trend today? You talk to the average individual who claims to be a Christian, one who says, "Yes, I accepted Jesus Christ as my savior. I believe in the things that Christ taught. I'm a Christian." You begin to query them on a few particular points, subjects, things they believe and why, "Well, and I never thought about that. I'll go and ask my minister." And they will say if I want a house built, I get a carpenter. If I want my car overhauled, I get a mechanic. When I want the Bible explained, I get my minister. It isn't their responsibility. Each man is in his particular job, and that's what they're there for. But I assure you, even though it is your responsibility for you have a question on the scripture to ask the minister, and it's their responsibility to answer for you, even that isn't going to get you into the kingdom. That kind of action isn't what it takes to get your eternal life. Not by any means.

   There was a man in Corpus, instance comes to mind, a man in Corpus that I, uh, visited, it's been about 3 or 4 months ago I guess. He had been somewhat interested in the broadcast. He had listened for a number of years, read quite a bit of the literature and have been a co-worker. I went to see him and he told me right after he was a Methodist. He said, "Yes, I enjoy that man Armstrong. I, I enjoy listening to him. I listened to him quite a bit, but I listen to a lot of others too."

   But he said, "It's kind of like this with me." He said, "I'm pretty old" and he was about 70. He said, "I'm pretty old" and he said, "I'm set in my ways." Well, he was, he was very much set in his ways. We should be set right, but not in our own ways. We should be set in God's ways. Again, I remind you of the scripture in Isaiah 45:17. Let the wicked forsake his way. His way isn't right.

   In Psalms, uh, Proverbs, excuse me, the scripture was brought to your attention last night. There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. They're not going to lead to life. You can turn to many examples. You can turn back to the case in Samuel where they were selecting a king to be over Israel. The father of David, Jesse thought he had some pretty important sons as far as this world standard of measurement went, and he called them all through, but his way wasn't right. That wasn't the one. None of those that Jesse thought would be the one were the ones that were selected for the king. It was the most unexpected, the least in his sight, that was the one God had chosen.

   He says my ways are not your ways. You look on the outward parts, I look on the heart. I look on the inside and see what the man is really composed of, not just the stature, overall appearance, the way he looks. That isn't important. It's the quality it's what the man is made of. It's the kind of heart he has. The mind, and that's the way God looks.

   This man in Corpus said, "Now," he says, "when I have a problem," he says, "I can't understand the scripture." He said, "That's what we have ministers for." He says, "When I have a problem, I go to my minister, that's his job, and he explains it for me." He said, "It's, well," he used the example. He says, "It's like it is in Acts the 8th chapter in the 26th verse." Let's turn there and read that. Acts 8:26.

   The example here, the account of Philip and the eunuch. "And the angel of the Eternal spoken to Philip saying, arise and go to the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Giza, which is desert. And he arose and went, and behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candei, the queen of the Ethiopians who had the charge of her treasure and had come to Jerusalem for to worship was returning and sitting in his chariot read Isaiah the prophet." Philip, this eunuch was reading Isaiah the prophet. "Then the spirit said unto Philip, Go near and join myself to this chariot. And Philip ran thither to him and heard him and read the prophet Isaiah and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me. And he desired Philip that he would come and sit with him," and he says now that shows Phillip couldn't understand that prophecy. The responsibility was the ministers. He was the one to answer the question. Why all Philip had to do was just realize, well, I don't understand it. I'll forget about it. I'll just go ask the preacher. I'll take his word for it.

   That isn't what I get out of it. Surely it's the responsibility of the ministers to teach the truth, which generally isn't being taught today. It's their responsibility to show you how you should live, to expound the scripture for you. Give you understanding of it, but it isn't your prerogative. It isn't your position just to accept their word as wholly inspired word, hook line and sinker, swallow it and forget about it. You have yourself to prove it, to study it. Prove it in your own mind. As Paul said, let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

   Though Phillip couldn't understand all that he was reading there, and so, or excuse me, the eunuch couldn't, so God sent Philip down and he expounded it to him, and he helped him, explained parts of it to him so he could understand. And you can go ahead and read the account and you will find where he was converted. He was baptized. There was a responsibility placed on the minister's shoulders, but not the responsibility of explaining the scripture entirely to them, working out their salvation so then they could have eternal life. That isn't the mission. That isn't the job that we have to do, I assure you. And if any of you are approaching it from that standpoint thinking you can rest back on your haunches, your laurels, and go on into the kingdom of God on the coat tail of someone else, you better get that out of your head. It won't work. No one else can get you there.

   I have noticed myself in being out working personally with the people and in the two churches down in South Texas, the tendency to let down, and I think that's the general tendency in the entire Church of God today, as the scripture says in regard to the Laodicean Church in Revelation, the 3rd chapter, we tend to lose that first love. They had lost it. I believe, excuse me, I believe that was in regard to the church at Ephesus in the 2nd chapter in that account of the churches. They had lost the first love. That is a natural tendency for us to do in the church today, and I assure you it's taking place.

   The church is becoming more relax, more lukewarm. And as the prophecy does say, there is to come that stage of the church delay and stage which is going to be neither hot nor cold. One that doesn't completely reject the ways but one in which there is no enthusiasm, no zeal for it. It's a passive thing. It's a passive Christianity. That is yet to come. And frankly, I believe that even though it isn't here now, we know it isn't. There is somewhat of a tendency to let down and degenerate into that state.

   We know according to conditions this is still the Philadelphian church because it opened the door is opened before us. That condition only applies to Philadelphia. We know that in general is this church. There's no question of that at all. But it is become because of the lukewarmness of the lacks of, of members in the church that causes it to degenerate into that Laodicean church. It isn't going to come up to a time right up to a line here. Here's the Philadelphian church up to this line from here on is the Laodicea. It will be a degeneracy evolving from one right into the other.

   It behooves us to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, and what kind of fear is that? What is it to fear God? A very important sermon in itself. Not that you're afraid of him as some big harsh stern monster, as the example was brought the other night, one who said that's the conception he had of God, not that he's going to crack a whip down on your head every time you turn to the left or the right. But the scripture says it's a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. We should be afraid to go contrary to his way, to disobey him, to reject his. That is the fear of God. To fear to break his laws, to fear to go against him, regardless of the persecution, the sacrifice, the trials and tests we are going to have here.

   Anything that man can do for us and they can't persecute tremendously, anything they can do isn't to be compared with the wrath that God is going to pour out upon those who are completely in rejection to Him. Completely spurned him, gone their own way. I would much rather suffer at the hands of any man, regardless of what kind of bestiality he might have, what kind of a mind perversion I would rather suffer at his hands than to reject this way, reject the knowledge that has been so graciously given to us, something we don't deserve. And why God called us I don't know, but he did. Than to reject this way now, once he, once having his knowledge, once having the understanding of the truth, to turn now then to fall into his hands, it would be a fearful thing.

   And how much easier would it be to go through any of the persecution that man can bring than have to suffer the wrath that God is going to pour out upon the evil? There have been a number of things coming to light in the past few months that do make it look like persecution is going to mount very rapidly. One in regard to this world calendar, which you probably have all read about, an article in the Good News about it. If that thing goes through and there is all likelihood that it might, I don't know that it will, but if it does, I assure you that persecution is going to mount. It's going to be very difficult for many people to continue to observe God's Sabbath. It will be very difficult. That is when persecution is going to mount.

   If we think we are suffering anything now of anything of real consequence, we better think again. It's nothing to be compared with the persecution we're going to have to withstand to go through. We hope that we will be taken to a place of safety and not have to go through the Great Tribulation, but there's going to be persecution, severe persecution even before we would be taken to that place of safety, even before the Great Tribulation itself does set in. But when we think about those things, regardless of the severity of the trials and the tests that man can place on you, think again. Well, now this is going to be the worst. If I succumb to this trial here, if I give in to them, I go along with them, go their way, escaping their wrath, is that going to be better than if I reject God now? If I turned against him, and then I can read and I know what the Bible says about the wrath, the plagues that he's going to pour out, then I'll have to go through that. Which is the better, which is the worst? Perhaps we should think about that, and I'm sure you can only come up with one answer.

   I'm competing here, I believe. Yes, the obligation on the part of the ministers is not to work out your salvation for you, not to make it possible to get each and every one of you into the kingdom of God by our doings, but to merely proclaim the word to you. Again, you can turn back to Isaiah the 58th chapter, the first verse (Isaiah 58:1), and it says there, speaking to the minister, speaking to those in authority in his church, performing his mission, "Cry aloud and spare not show my people their transgressions." It doesn't say corrector. Correct them for them, but show them to them. How much of that's being done in the world today. You go into the average church assembly. Do you hear anything that's correcting? Anything that's reproving them, showing them how they are transgressing God's law? No, you don't. They are preaching the soft and the smooth things, the deceitful things, things that tickle their ears, but that is the responsibility on those in the true church who are proclaiming His word. Cry aloud spare not.

   And again, if any of you tend to ever become offended at the truth, you better think again there. The fulfillment of the royal law is love, as we find it love. Now that is a very great subject can be ramified in many different ways, but I assure you when one stands in the pulpit of God and cries aloud and doesn't spare and shows you your transgression, it's the fulfillment of that law. It's love. We want you to get into the kingdom. We want you to have salvation. And we know if we teach you the soft and smooth things, the things that tickle your ears that don't correct you, that aren't putting you on the right road that's leading to life, you're not going to get into his family. You're going ahead right sure and certain for eternal death. It is because of great love toward you that one will stand up here and stomp on your toes correcting you, showing you how to change so that you will get on that straight and narrow road, that road that leads to life eternal. One of the greatest uh manifestations of love for you.

   And again I have noticed some examples in the churches, the two in particular in Carus and San Antonio. The most certain way to determine whether one has repented and what really repentance is, is if they are willing to take correction, if they are willing to be corrected. If we are, we accept it, we welcome it, we want correction. You can almost rest assured that that individual has repented. I don't say that would be ironclad in every instance, but nearly so.

   There was one particular individual in the church in Corpus Christi. Came to church for about 2 months. I was under the impression he was a member of the church. He had been baptized. He accepted the truth, he accepted it nearly 100%. He finally told me later. He said, "I agree nearly 100% with what's being taught." And it went on for about 2 months' time. Evidently I didn't say anything that stepped on his toes to the severely, not too hard. I know that some things had. Perhaps they had just gone off his back like water off a duck's back. But finally something did and it was about this idea of witchcraft, of the signs of the zodiac. I can't think of the word they call that science that doesn't come to mind at all right now.

   Anyhow, he was highly wrapped up in it, and I turned and read a few scriptures one morning down there about diviners, necromancers, witchcraft, sorcerers, things like that, showing the abominable things, how they are an abomination in God's sight, showing how he hated those things and they weren't natural laws. They weren't anything that we were to govern our life by and showing how that people during the heights of the Roman Empire at one time you can check in the encyclopedia and get some of these facts. The people would plant their crops by the going from one place to another of the birds. They would use signs like that when they would see a few birds coming over while that was the immediate time to go out and plant some crop or harvest something or something else, using various things like that.

   Well, this man was very much wrapped up in those kinds of teachings. It hit him right on the toes and it hit him hard. He hasn't been to church since. I have talked to him several times. He is completely in rejection to God's way. When it decides to rain, it rains, doesn't it? Anyhow, this particular individual, you could certainly tell them there were no fruits of repentance. He said he told me the last time I saw him, he said, "It isn't that I disagree with what's being taught." He said, "I agree nearly 100% with everything that you're teaching out of the Bible," but he was very embittered because he did not want to be told what to do. He was not willing to come under the authority of the subjection of God. Come to his rule as Hebrew, as Paul said to the Hebrews, "Remember them that have the rule over you and submit yourselves to them." I think it's in the 13th chapter of Hebrews and about the 7th verse for 1 and about the 17th, I believe. "Remember them that have the rule over you." There is rule, and we have to be in subjection to it.

   That is one of the greatest ways of differentiating between those who are repentant and those who are not is if when something steps on their toes, they are merely corrected by it, they realize their mistake and they apply it. They change. Conversion is an action. When you're converted, it isn't that you go right along in the same old groove in your same old ways, but you just believe a little bit differently now. But a conversion is when you change something over, you change it completely from one thing to another. It does take some reproof. It does take some correction.

   Let's turn back very quickly here to Ezekiel the 3rd chapter. In Ezekiel chapter 3, I have outlined quite a lengthy sermon and I see I'm not even going to get started in it really. I'll not get any of it to speak of, but I want to show you where in some of these examples, just what the responsibility is in the various positions. In the third chapter starting in the 17th verse (Ezekiel 3:17), you have heard, you have probably read these scriptures many times. "Son of man, excuse me, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel a watchman. Therefore, hear the words in my mouth and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked, thou shalt surely die, and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way to save his life. He say wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require a fine hand."

   It is a responsibility for the ministers today and understanding what is to come to pass, understanding the things that are going to be suffered, the conditions as they shall prevail here. As they do now and they shall in the next few years. It's their responsibility to cry out and to show you how you can change, how you can escape those things. Not to force you into it. And if they don't, the blood of a good many people shall be required at their hand. But you will notice and reading on down through here, continue in the 19th verse, "Yet if thou warn the wicked and he turned not from his wickedness nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity, but thou hast delivered thy soul."

   When you go ahead and mourn them, it isn't that you can force them into it, and that isn't the responsibility that we're assuming. It's to try to force you to do anything. If you think I'm standing right here now telling you you have to do anything, you're mistaken again. I'm not. But I assure you, if you're going to have eternal life and if you're going to escape the things that are going to come be passed, the dreadful things, the terrible things, you better be heading. If you warn the wicked of the imminent danger and it doesn't turn, you have delivered yourself. You have done the mission that God has placed placed you to do. You have done the job he has given. You can't drive them. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink as the old saying goes. You can cry aloud. You can show them the truth, but you can't force them to accept.

   "Again, when a righteous man that came from his righteousness and commit iniquity, I lay a stumbling block before him, and he shall die because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done, shall not be remembered, but his but his blood will I require at thine hand." If a man goes ahead and commits iniquity, he's going to die as a result of that iniquity, but because you haven't told him, you haven't given him the warning, you also shall have to bear the brunt. You also will be responsible. His blood will again be required at thy hands or to the ministers who don't cry aloud, who don't tell them. They'll both fall into the ditch.

   "Nevertheless, if thou warned the righteous man that he, uh, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live because he is warned all thou hast delivered thy soul." You have told them the truth, you have given them the message of God. You have shown them how they can correct, how they can escape it. They have heeded the warning, delivered themselves. You also are delivered. Certainly that is the condition we would like to see prevailing in general, but I'm not certain it is the one that's prevailing as much as it ought, as much as we would like.

   Also over in Ezekiel 33rd chapter, Ezekiel chapter 33 here. This was read last night. I'm not going to go ahead and read all of it now, but it brings out again many of the same things as I read in Ezekiel 3. A watchman is set, he sees the sword coming. And if he doesn't blow the trumpet, if he doesn't sound the warning, then he is going to suffer for it. But if he does sound, if they don't listen, they don't heed it, he has delivered himself, they shall go ahead and suffer. Same things you find recorded in the 34th chapter. There are many places in the Bible in the 34th chapter of Ezekiel. The responsibility is not to force you into anything. The responsibility isn't to live a life whereby you might be saved. The responsibility is to correct you and show you how you can change and how you might get there.

   But I assure you, it's going to be a difficult enough matter, hard enough even for the ministers of God to perform the kind of works that's going to get them into the kingdom of God. It isn't an easy thing for anyone. We find in various places in the scripture that it's a hard thing to get into the kingdom. It's a hard thing to inherit the kingdom of God. It isn't easy. It's a very difficult thing. It's going to be hard enough for the ministers to perform, to continue to overcome performing the deeds, living the kind of a life that will enable them to escape, let alone being able to drag one of you or 2 or 3 in behind him. That can't be done.

   We have various activities that we should be performing, and the point I want to get to, each one of us individually, various things we have to be doing in our life, daily activities, daily deeds that we must do, and you heard one of them very amply describe this morning brought to your attention. I did intend to mention it very briefly, but merely in conjunction with the many things that we ought to perform, prayer. Is one of those. It requires a great deal of it. It requires that constant attitude of it. And his individual prayer over in II Timothy, I don't need to turn to the scripture. In II Timothy 2:15, you will find there that we are to study to show ourselves approved unto God. If you study to show yourself, that means you're doing your own studying. You are studying yourself to show yourself approved to God, not that someone else has to have to study the Bible through it from cover to cover, and then give it all to you, but your responsibility also is to study it.

   I imagine most homes in this country have a Bible somewhere, but if you go in and ask them, "Well, do you have a Bible? I'd like to see your Bible." They'd have to dig it out of the bottom of the bookcase or it'd be covered over with dirt or something else, never studied, and yet there are ardent churchgoers, many of them. Ardent churchgoers every Sunday they go to church. "Why they're Christians, sure, I'm saved. I'm delivered. Well, I got my savings several months ago or years ago or something else." But they're not studying their Bible. If we're going to show ourselves approved unto God approved, we have been accepted, we have passed the test, we're going to be approved. Now we get ourselves, we get ourselves into the kingdom of God. If we are going to hear those words, it requires a great deal of study, a great deal of individual personal study, and the ways of being laid before you now through the correspondence course, the magazines, various other ways.

   But it does require a great deal of study and if any of you who are taking the course, and by the show of hands last night, most are, I imagine you're finding that it requires a great deal of study to keep up with it. It's very inclusive, very thorough, and you don't just read across it and get the meaning out of it. It requires study, diligent study and concentration. Not that you can sit down and think about what you're going to plant tomorrow, but you have to think about what you're doing, placing your mind on the study, on the scripture, on understanding it, comprehending it. It requires a great deal of study.

   Let's turn over to Acts of 17th chapter, an example here that we can all use, follow very much. Acts the 17th chapter the 10th verse (Acts 17:10). Paul had been in Thessalonica and here now he was going to have to leave them and the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas from Thessalonica because of the persecution they were receiving from the Jews there. Saint Paul and Silas by night unto Berea, who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. "These were more noble than those in Thessalonica. These were more noble. They listened in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, they accepted it, they realized it was scripture, they realized it was God's word, his inspired word, not the words of Paul. They received the word with all readiness of mind and searched the scriptures daily whether those things were so. Therefore, many of them believed also of honorable women which were Greeks and of men, not a few." There were many of them. They believed that they accepted it, but they studied it. They didn't swallow the whole thing hook line and sinker. They didn't say, "Well, it's different. Sounds all right to me. I believe that's right. I'll go along." That again isn't repentance, and that again isn't what we are to do.

   They studied the Bible daily, not just once a week, not just on the Sabbath, when we don't have to be out working, but they studied those things daily to see whether they were so. They realized as it says in I Peter the 3rd chapter, the 15th verse (I Peter 3:15), also in Colossians 4:6, speaking not just to the ministers but to those in the various churches that they should be always ready to give a, give an answer for the hope that lies within them, always ready to give an answer. Are you able to answer anyone when they begin to query you with the hope that lies within you? Are you qualified? Are you able to answer them? That's your responsibility.

   Of course that doesn't mean we understand the scripture thoroughly from one end to the other and every question that's asked is we have to immediately know the answer. That's humanly impossible. If we knew that we'd be perfect. But we're striving toward that end. We striving for perfection. But I very much doubt that there are too many here that even on the basic doctrines, many of the basic things that our entire living is founded on. If we were queried, we would be able to explain it, be able to answer them, even of the hope, the hope of the resurrection, that we would be able to give them an answer if they were asking, sincerely asking, wanting to know the answer, not just as an argument, but that is your responsibility and that only comes by not only a great deal of study, not just a passive interest, a great deal of active study, concentration. A great deal of prayer. Being close to God, having the Holy Spirit, which does lead and guide us into all new truth. They all go hand in hand. It requires a great deal of everyone. And then we will come closer to measuring up to that description, I assure you. Ready to give an answer for the hope that is within us.

   Over in Galatians the 6th chapter. Galatians chapter 6. Starting here in verse 3 (Galatians 6:3). "If a man thinks himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself." Or if you are self-exalting yourself, the Bible says you're nothing. "But let every man prove his own work. Let every man prove his own work. And then shall we have rejoicing in himself alone and not in another." Then you will have the satisfaction, the right kind of pride, not vanity, not selfish lust. Then you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you can get down. God will reveal scripture to you. He will give you understanding and knowledge. You have studied this out for yourself and you know that it's right. Someone else didn't have to explain it for you. And a certain amount of self-satisfaction is right and good. And it gives us rejoicing when we know that we are close enough to God. We are steading enough in His word. We are relying on him enough that we are able to come to conclusions and know they are right conclusions.

   "Let everyone prove his own work, not someone else's but your own, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone and not in another, for every man shall bear his own burden." No one else is going to bear your burden for you. We are told in other places in the scripture that we're to bear the burdens of the weak, help them along. That means now we are to help the weak. Try to lift them up, give them all the strength and the help that we can, the assurance. Bearing with them, but here it says every man shall bear his own burden.

   There is a time coming, a time coming in the future when each every and every individual is going to stand before the judgment bar of Jesus Christ, and then they're going to bear their own burden. God is going to judge unmercifully, as it says in one scripture, I don't think just where it is now. He shall be an unmerciful judge. He's not going to give you something you haven't deserved, you haven't earned. Not that it's possible for us to deserve any such a reward, but something we haven't really strived for. Every man shall bear his own burden when it comes down to the time that the reward is going to be passed out, that phase of the judgment.

   When your reward is going to be given you, the good deed that someone else has performed, the kind of life they have lived isn't going to help you one whit. Then you're going to bear your own burden and if you haven't lived the kind of life, if you haven't sown the kind of seed, produce the kind of fruit that's going to enable you to have eternal life, you're not going to receive it. God then is not going to be merciful, say, "Well, you poor sucker, weakly, I realize that you don't amount to very much, but I'm sorry for you now. I'll go ahead and put you into the kingdom. I'm sorry, now I'll be merciful on you. You didn't try very hard, you could have done a lot more, but I'll give you eternal life." Such things will not be heard. Then you're going to bear your burden. Then you're going to have to answer, and as it says in Ecclesiastes the 12th chapter, the 13th verse (Ecclesiastes 12:13), I think it is the last verse of the chapter, every secret thing, every work that we have performed, every secret thing is going to be brought into judgment.

   Those things are going to be the things that determine what your reward shall be. Those will be the things not only that will determine whether you get into the kingdom or not, but what position you shall have when you get there. The very things you have done, not what the ministers of God have done, not the good they have performed. They also are going to bear their own, and if they haven't produced that kind of fruit, haven't lived that kind of a life, they shall not be there either. Remember Galatians the 3rd chap or the 6th chapter, the 5th verse (Galatians 6:5), one you should review quite frequently. Every man shall bear his own burden, and it might be very burdensome to many people.

   I'm going to skip through some of this here and come to a close very quickly. One scripture back along the same line back here again in Ezekiel in the 18th chapter that I do want to read to you. Ezekiel chapter 18 here starting in verse 1 (Ezekiel 18:1). "The word of the eternal came into me again saying, what mean you that you use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, concerning the land of Israel or Israel. The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge. As I live, sayeth the Eternal God, you shall not have occasion anymore to use this problem in proverb in Israel. You shall not have occasion anymore to use this proverb in Israel. The fathers eat sour grapes, their children's teeth are set on edge. No more should not be read. Behold, all souls are mine, as the soul of the Father, so are the so the soul of the Son uh. Excuse me, behold all souls are mine as the soul of the Father, so also soul the soul of the Son is mine. The soul that sinneth, it shall die."

   The one that commits the transgression is going to be the one that dies for your own children. The kind of a life you perform is not going to save your children. It's not going to save any of your relatives, your family, your loved ones, or anyone else. It isn't going to be that which gets anyone into the kingdom, save yourself if you have performed the good works. There shall not be occasion to use that proverb anymore. It isn't that way. Just as a man sows, so shall he reap. The very things we produce in our lives, the very things we are going to reap. As I read to you the other night, this is somewhat of a follow up of what I brought to you last night, I believe it was the night before, night before last. I don't know what happens to me once in a while. I have heard other ministers say the same thing, but I didn't know it was true till I got to speaking myself. Once in a while you have a train of thought, everything all worked out, you know, just what you're going to say and the whole thing just get the black and you forget the whole words. I have something in mind I was leading up to and I forget what it was. Human, you see.

   Anyhow, the soul that sins, the one that commits the transgression, that is the one that's going to die, whether that is me or whether that is you. I, I should say that is the one that's going to die. No one else can save you. You're going to have to bear your own burden. There are many things that I intended to bring to you in regard to our Christian duties, the activities of our daily living, I would like to refer you to I Corinthians 6th chapter in the 1st 5 verses again and the position, the job that those who get into the kingdom, the first groups that are called out now what they shall have. They're going to be judging angels. That shall be one of the positions. Judging angels. Judgment is going to be given to them then.

   In Revelation the 2 chapter, the 26th and the 27th verses, you find that those who are overcomers, those who get into the kingdom of God are going to rule over the nations. Positions of government, ruling, teaching. You turn to Micah the 4th chapter and you find that that men are not going to learn the ways of war anymore, but they are going to learn the ways of peace. They're not going to automatically assume all of those things. But they're going to have to be taught. Who shall do the teaching, those who are the overcomers, those of us here who continually strive and overcome and get into his family. That is going to be our job. What particular phase we will be in our particular position, we don't know. But we know it shall be in teaching positions and governing positions somewhere along the lines, and there are many, many ramifications of this that I had in mind, but I don't want to bring out that those of you who are heads of families who have children.

   You have an advantage, believe it or not, over those who don't. You have an advantage. It's your responsibility now to teach your children to bring them, bring them up in the way they should live. Teaching them the right way. How do you get along? You are getting training and teaching. It's the job that those who get into the kingdom are going to have when they get there. Are you using that to its fullest advantage? Are you using that? And thinking about it. When you're teaching your children that that that is an opportunity for you to train, for you to develop for a job in this kingdom. Not only in teaching them to understand doctrinal points in the scripture, teaching them dress, appearance, personality, conversations, speech, good language, all of those things. They're very important. Very important.

   God isn't sloven, he isn't slouching. He doesn't do things that way. And it's our responsibility that we teach ourselves. Many of us need to teach ourselves in a lot of respects, how to speak correctly, how to dress correctly. And it can be learned. Adult people can learn some of these things if they, if they will apply themselves. And all of these little things, our daily activities of daily deeds that we should be performing are going to determine what our reward will be in this kingdom or whether we're even going to get there. And it isn't just that we understand the scripture, but it is that we understand and know and do these other things that seem rather insignificant when you look at them in their own little view.

   Are you assuming and taking an opportunity of all the conditions that do present themselves to you for development and training, character building? It says in I Timothy, the 3rd chapter, I think it's about the 4th and 5th verse, that how can one rule the house of God unless he rules his own family and has his own family in subjection. How then are we would we be worthy? How could we be kind of worthy to have such a position in the kingdom of God if now we aren't able to train, develop our family, to have it in subjection, to be the head of it? Those things are conditions that present themselves. Those things are the things we should be striving with, using, and remember it is an advantage. You are having an opportunity now for a job to come then. Use it and apply it in that light, realize it.

   And when you teach your children, realize that if you overcome, you're going to have a teaching job there and compare it. It's much the same. Remember that many of the people that are going to be taught during the millennium, during the 1000 year reign, the people that are going to be taught the way to live then are not going to be spirit beings. They're going to be human canal minded that you're going to have to deal with. That's what you deal with when you deal with deal with your child. So ways and means of teaching correctly, ways that are efficient but are good, those things can be used and inculcated in the kingdom and knowing how to deal with humanity, knowing how then to teach human minds.

   There are many other activities, daily things that we have to perform. I'm not going to go through them now, but remember our Bible study, reading the Bible, you can turn to Nehemiah, I believe it's in the 8th chapter of Nehemiah. Also in I Timothy, reading the Bible is also very important. Just reading through it. Not that we take time then to check every reference, comprehensive study, full concentration on it, but just reading it. That also is important. Studying the scripture, praying, applying Christian principles in our living, in our development, our own character development, how we develop ourselves in our dress, our personality, how we approach and how we converse with others, how we train our children. All of those things are things we should have on our mind constantly and be doing constantly.